Research Infrastructure: CC* Strategy-Campus: Planning for a Cyberinfrastructure for Research at Chicago State University (CyReCSU)

The primary goal of the CC* Strategy-Campus: Planning for a Cyberinfrastructure for Research at Chicago State University (CyReCSU) project is to prepare a comprehensive strategic plan for CSU’s research cyberinfrastructure through carefully designed activities that involve University researchers and administrators, colleagues from R2 institutions, and consultants. CSU is the only 4-year Predominantly Black Institution (PBI) in Illinois located on Chicago’s south side, with over 1 million Black and Hispanic residents living within a 10-mile radius.

Providing faculty and students the resources they need to be actively engaged in STEM research and education is central to the mission of CSU and its desire to become an R2 institution. This re-classification will reflect its faculty’s involvement in research and its balanced approach to research and teaching. A robust cyberinfrastructure is necessary for CSU to reach its potential as a research institution and to fulfill its role as a driving force for change and growth within its urban community.

CyReCSU enables CSU to serve as an informational hub for resources related to the social, economic, and educational missions of its partners.

CyReCSU’s supports the creation of a comprehensive strategic campus cyberinfrastructure plan that prioritizes needs and purchases and results in incremental, yet meaningful, increases in research capacity throughout its implementation. The plan prioritizes the critical areas of cyberinfrastructure growth with CSU’s research faculty, allows for conducting site visits to comparable R2 institutions to learn about their successful cyberinfrastructures toward gaining insight into best practices for the development of a cyberinfrastructure for research.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.